"Who among us can forget…" Master of Ceremonies Dave McKinley asked the crowd gathered in Brockport on August 18 for the unveiling of the Firefighter’s Memorial Monument. Remembrance, grief and healing were felt, and shared, by firefighters, policemen, emergency service personnel and more than 1,100 who attended the event. McKinley said that no one would be able to forget that day … September 11, 2001. "We all remember where we were and remember when that tragedy began unfolding our thoughts turned to home," he said. "It didn’t matter where home was and for an instant we all became a community united." As a symbol of the unity felt by the dedicated professionals who give their lives daily in the line of duty, artist Richard Kron sculpted three life-sized firefighters out of white oak. The sculpture depicts the firefighters standing around a half-erect flagpole, reminiscent of the photo that was splashed across newspapers and television stations across the country of the three emergency workers as they raised the American flag amidst the rubble of the Trade Towers just hours after their collapse. Brockport Mayor Josephine Matela commended the volunteers who worked to create the memorial that will stand as a symbol for those who served and who continue to give of themselves on a daily basis. "This is an honor and tribute to honor those who still serve and as a tribute to your fallen brothers and sisters," she said. Robert Aponte, a lieutenant from the E-320, New York City Fire Department, recounted to the crowd what he was doing on that fateful day last September. He said he had just wrapped up his shift and was preparing to go home to his wife and children when a call came through the fire house to turn on the television. Following that call, he turned on the radio that there were "jumpers down." "I’m sure I don’t have to explain to you what those are," he said to the crowd. "I had enough time to call home and tell my wife I was being sent to the scene of the tragedy," Aponte said. "I was shocked, terrified and scared for my brothers and sisters (in the fire, police and EMS service)." Aponte said he just wanted to run home and be with his family but he knew he had a job to do. "I personally knew 50 of the men and women who died that day," he said. "When it was all over, when my shift was over, I just went home, crawled into bed with my wife, held her, and wept." Brockport’s Fire Chief Gregory Wing couldn’t hold back his tears as he addressed the crowd. "I wouldn’t trade what I do here for anything," he said. "The people on the force are my second family … to lose one of them is to lose a brother, sister or mother or a father … the grief doesn’t stop." Daniel Varrenti, Brockport’s police chief, said the monument not only represents three men raising a flag, it represents those whose heroics helped to raise a country. While the crowd vacillated between cheering for the speeches and for the unveiling of the monument and shedding tears at the stories being shared, all were silent during the playing of Taps. Rochester Fire Chief Floyd Madison said the monument does "justice to today’s, yesterday’s and especially tomorrow’s heroes." Bricks for the memorial walkway that surrounds the monument are still available by contacting the fire department or the village hall. |
